| Author: | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: November, 2015 Posts: 4,214 | | Review Date: December 20, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Light, came with a hood, works with nearly every camera I have, focuses well | | Cons: | Not very sharp, not great resolution | | Sharpness: 6
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Autofocus: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 8
Camera Used: K1, ZX-L
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I recently compared this lens with the other FA 28-80 (without the AL), the old FA 28-105 PZ, and the DFA 28-105.
It doesn't touch the DFA 28-105. Not even close... but it's nearly 20 years old, so that's fine. And the DFA won''t work on the ZX-L, K1000, or P3N.
It was better in some respects than my copy of the FA 28-105, though that lens has picked up some internal haze lately, so it's not as good as it used to be.
And it is a bit better than the other 28-80, especially toward the edges. The aspherical element is apparently good for something...
Like a lot of these type lenses, it's worst at the ends. wide open at 28mm is pretty bad, but it cleans up some by f5.6. It softens up at 80mm as well, but not as much. Between f5.6 and f8 is where it is at its best.
It would be just the trick on the ZX with some 400 speed film, where the slow speed of the lens and lack of critical sharpness wouldn't be much bother.
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: August, 2012 Posts: 678 | | Review Date: December 16, 2019 | Recommended
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | sharp optics | | Cons: | cheap, plastic construction | |
This lens came to me with a K20 D and two other lenses, so I have left the price paid blank since any portion of the $150 I paid for the lot I might assign to this lens would be entirely subjective. My initial reaction to this lens was pretty underwhelming, given its cheap, plastic construction, including its plastic mounting base. That said, it's surprisingly sharp, if a bit of a flare monster. I do not imagine this lens will get much use and the next time I sell off a Pentax body, this lens may well be hanging on the front of it.
UPDATE—This lens recently came to a gruesome end, attached to the front of my Samsung GX-20. The camera's strap caught on a drawer pull in my kitchen and the camera was pulled from my hand and hit the floor lens first. The camera was undamaged but the lens' plastic mount took the brunt of the impact and snapped right off. While part of me thinks this lens might have survived the fall had it had a metal mount, I have to thing also that it might have saved the camera. Either way, it's not really worth repairing.
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: July, 2012 Posts: 21,461 | | Review Date: August 7, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $25.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Reliable and general all around good lens to have. | | Cons: | I just find it to be bigger than needed. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Autofocus: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax ZX-7
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Light weight, fast auto focus, very sharp at all lengths and f stops. I paid only $25.00 for this lens, and I believe it was money well spent. I have a hard time understanding the majority of these reviews. If I believed a product deserved less than a 9 rating, I would not recommend it. Some reviewers find everything wrong with this lens, rate it a 6 and then recommend it. Again, I do like this lens from Pentax. It is a quality build, rugged, yet produces awesome macros and great photos all around. An excellent walk around lens to have in your arsenal.
Thanks for reading,
Tony
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2009 Location: Maine, USA Posts: 424 | | Review Date: June 30, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | Nice and lightweight and cheap and IQ | | Cons: | For the price and weight, it's hard to complain. | | Sharpness: 6
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 6
Autofocus: 6
Handling: 6
Value: 6
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I always thought highly of this lens until I read reviews here, LOL, I did not know it was less than great 
Here is a sample pic, Pentax FA 28~80mm lens on an Olympus E-PL1, manually focused.
(My daughter Chloe at the park, click to enlarge)
I'd give it a solid 6 out of 10 | | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2012 Location: Somewhere, USA Posts: 458 | | Review Date: December 22, 2012 | Not Recommended | Price: $5.00
| Rating: 2 |
| Pros: | The only positive I can see is that it zooms and captures light. | | Cons: | Sharpness, Clunky AF, No Hood, Plasticky, Distortion, Sharpness | | Sharpness: 3
Aberrations: 5
Bokeh: 3
Autofocus: 1
Handling: 3
Value: 1
Camera Used: K-5
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I gave this lens a 2nd go round on my K-5. Even stopped down to F11 the frame is still unsharp uniformly about 20-25% from the frame edge. APS-C may challenge this lens too much and with say asa 400 film on full frame it may well look much better. That said even in the center it just lacks critical sharpness and doesn't have the microcontrast necessary to pull detail and give edge sharpness. At the extreme edges of frame on APS-C it is very soft, and very much unusable for my purposes. The is worst of course at extreme ends. The middle range is not as bad, but not good either. I took a few shots today that were barely keepable stopped down to f9. It just happened I was carrying the lens for testing and it provided the needed focal length as my 28mm was to wide and my 50mm was too tight. One of these days I'll snag a 35 or a 40.... Anyways, the da 18-55 mk1 is far sharper across the frame and is a much, much better option, and to be honest, I regret using that lens when I do and I rarely ever do anymore. Forget the 80mm end. Its super soft. This is easily the worst pentax lens I've tried. It is a consistent performer. Consistently bad. Contrast is ok, but not great. Color is kind of nice probably due to the SMC coating. It does seem to render objects closer somewhat better, but that may have more to due with spatial resolution than anything. I wouldn't waste your time. It also looks horrible when paired with the k-5. I got mine with a zx-7 I bought that was nearly in brand new condition for $15. I still use the zx-7. I tried this lens ones and tossed it aside and finally was curious and decided to test it out. The autofocus is super rough and the front element pops around. Maybe its the age of my copy, but I doubt it. Its not great anyways. Stopped down the center sharpens, but other than that it will disappoint the pixel peepers pretty hardcore. At f5.6 @ 90mm bokeh is not great and you can't use a shallow dof to hide the softness of the lens. A 100mm macro would be a much better bet and would serve a dual purpose. I'm sad this lens even says pentax on the outside of it really.
Edit: I see that this lens is going for $40. Maybe I should change my review and throw it up for sale on the marketplace.....LOL Nah, maybe I'll just keep it for laughs. I'm sure it will be completely awesome on the upcoming pentax FF =)
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2007 Location: North West UK Posts: 390 | | Review Date: January 20, 2011 | Recommended
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | It's light. Nice focal range. | | Cons: | Build, speed, feel, soft | |
This was the kit lens that came with my MZ-5n.
Its okay, as kit lens comes, but not much more.
However, never got rid of it.
Build quality is average to say the least, with movement in the lens (its not tight!)
Wide open, soft as they come, and not fast.
Stopped down is better but not to DA* or prime quality standard.
I think Pentax learned from this lens when they made the 18-55 for digital, which for a kit lens is so much better optically.
Would I consider purchasing one? Well if it was VERY cheap, then probably, as the focal range is useful, but as a primary lens to cover the focal range then no, there are far better optics out there
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: April, 2009 Location: Puerto Rico Posts: 2,681 | | Review Date: November 9, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | zoom range, fast focus, color rendition, stopped down sharpness, close minimum focusing distance | | Cons: | distortion at 28mm, very soft wide open | |
I got this lens for its zoom range, as I found my 18-55 to be usually pegged to the longer end. For my shooting style and needs, I find the extra 55-80mm range very useful, despite loosing in the wide end.
Focusing is pleasantly fast.
Stopped down, this lens performs surprisingly well rendering beautiful colors and great sharpness. But it is not sharp wide open.
It also has some noticeable barrel distortion at the wider end, but easily corrected in post-process. This lens was obviously born in the film era and it is "full frame" capable, but because of this distortion, I feel more comfortable using it in the digital rather than in my film bodies.
While not exactly a dedicated macro lens, minimum focusing distance is 1.5 ft (.5m) allowing for nice closeups and macro style shots.
I find size and weight comfortable. Construction feels average.
While still usable, the plastic filter thread is cracked in my copy, but otherwise it looks pristine.
Overall I'm happy with this lens. It can produce great images once you get to know it and exploit its strengths (and of course avoid its weaknesses).
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: May, 2007 Location: Oklahoma City Posts: 3,574 | | Review Date: February 21, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | light-weight, decent sharpness | | Cons: | slow, so-so build quality | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 6
Autofocus: 7
Handling: 8
Value: 8
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I picked this lens up to use as a daily 'walk around' lens. The things that others have said about it are true. It's light, feels kinda cheaply made, the focusing ring turns really freely, and it's not much use in dark situations. But, this lens wasn't designed to compete with Pentax's top-range zooms. It was just an inexpensive kit lens. So, think of it as a longer alternative to the 18-55 kit lens. In that regard, it performs pretty well and it's longer range suits my eye. I've used it in general shooting and in close-up situations when coupled with a 2-element close-up lens and have been very happy with the results.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: December, 2007 Location: In the most populated state... state of denial Posts: 1,852 | | Review Date: January 10, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Light, good overall | | Cons: | 28 is a bit soft - | |
Decent basic zoom lens
works fine in most cameras
but tend to be dark in the 80mm range for manula focusing
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: April, 2009 Location: Treviso (Italy) Posts: 87 | | Review Date: August 30, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $90.00
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | Focusing speed, weight | | Cons: | Maximum aperture | |
It was my first lens with the Mz-50 (Zx-50).
It's lightweight and it's an all-around lens for beginners.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: April, 2008 Location: Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, UK. Posts: 62 | | Review Date: July 19, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $73.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Lightweight, compact, rapid focus, optically good, cheap, very sharp at f8+ | | Cons: | Loose focus ring, flimsy plastic construction, unattractive colour, not the sharpest when wide open. | |
I picked up this lens very cheaply on e-bay. Mounted on my K20D it looks dreadful but performs quite well. It has a poor build quality but that makes it a very light lens. It does have a very useful range for portrait photography when mounted on a camera with an APS-C sensor. Autofocus and metering work well with the K20D. The main downside is the focus ring in manual mode. It moves with very little resistance and is easily knocked out of focus.
The lens has limitations, but at the price I could not fail to be pleased. | | |
